Ben 10: Family Affairs
by GuardianAngel1234567
Summary: A retelling of a favorite series. On his 10th Birthday, Ben Tennyson's life is turned up-side-down when he discovers a family secret after being hunted down by his estranged uncle.
1. Uh, Happy Birthday?

_He had to hurry. They were counting on him._ _They don't have much...!_

Agent BIG10 cringed behind the crates as the shots were fired. _Great they're down. Hopefully, not all of them._

He peered from his hiding spot; All of his teammates were down. _Except one._ They were interrogating him, probably asking about, _him._

 _He had to save them, without being caught._ He reached his other arm and prepared his blaster. He shoots above, catching the attention of the enemy team.

He swiftly moved behind another box just as a fighter went to his previous hiding spot. A bunch of crates and other heavy metal parts were hanging in a net just right above the other guys. But first he needed another distraction.

He pushed down a crate. The contents rattled loudly, catching the attention of the enemy. _This was his chance._

He blasted the net, causing all its contents to rain down on the enemies, knocking them out in the process. He rushed for his companion to check if he was okay.

Before the leader of the other team has a chance to pick up his blaster, it was _Game Over..._

* * *

 _Alright! Another win for the team!_

Ben grinned victoriously at his tablet as his game avatar was hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates.

" _Whoo! What a blast!_ "

He switched to video-chat and the equally victorious happy face of his cousin appeared on screen.

"Thanks for having my back, Bud!" Heat grinned.

"Hey. You got my back, I got yours." Ben talked back as they fist-bumped each other on the screen.

Another one of their teammates flashed on the screen, "That was totally uncalled for. Way out of my calculations."

"Sorry, Grey." Another one of their teammates flashed on the screen, "Science can't always solve everything."

Grey gave a dramatic gasp, " _Accel Ratchet Revo Eon. You take that back,_ _ **right this instant!**_ "

Ben shook his head in amusement as he watched his three cousins argue. Suddenly, he got another caller and a forth face appeared on the screen.

" _Heeeeeyyyy!_ " Another boy sang, only to receive annoyed scolding from his cousins, "What? I didn't give him any hints."

"Daemond!" A woman suddenly appeared next to the boys, "You didn't drop any hints that we... Oh hi Ben."

"Hey Aunt Amelia." Ben waved back as a man appeared next to Grey.

"Benjamin." The man greeted, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"It's Summer, Uncle Ash." Ben pointed out.

"Of course." His uncle chuckled, "Well since the cat's out of the bag, I hope your mother picked an appropriate suit for you to wear."

"A _suit?_ " Ben cocked an eyebrow in disbelief.

" _Just joking._ " Ash chuckled once more before sighing, "You know it seam just like yesterday when you kids were in diapers..."

All 5 cousins groaned and protested in disgust.

"Alright. Alright. I get it." Ben waved his hand against the screen, "See you guys later."

"See _you_ later soon-to-be double-digit year old." Accel saluted before ending his call.

" _Gotta blast._ " Heat ended his call too.

" _Daemond!_ " Another one of Ben's uncles appeared next to Daemond, " _I said..._ Oh hey Ben."

" _Whoa!_ " Ben playfully pinched his nose, "Aunt Amelia, didn't you get that cologne Mom sent you. I can smell Uncle Tex' hippie scent from here."

" _'Hippie scent'_?" Tex echoed, "Boy, someday you'll appreciate Nature's Blessing. Now if you'll excuse us, the snapdragons are calling."

" _Literally._ " Daemond chuckled before being scolded by a trowel before ending the call.

That left Ben with Ash and Grey.

"Well, you should be heading home now." Ash advised, "Or if you want, I could ask Sandra to _donate_ to charity... and he's _gone._ "

Ash grinned in amusement when Ben's face disappeared from the screen.

* * *

 _He just loves Summer. And it wasn't just because it was vacation away from school._

Summer was a chance for him and the rest of his family to come together and bond over fun activities. His Uncle Sponsus once joked that if any member of the family missed a reunion, they'd forget about him/her in the next.

His family's Family Reunions are always the best. Everyone of them were full of fun, adventure and sometime, really cool prizes.

Last time, they went to Mount Everest, and he and his team won the snowboard race after he made that high-jump flip over that large crevice. The adults found it weird that the ground would crack like that despite the fact that there was no earthquake, but eventually everyone brushed it of as one of Nature's, _nature._

 _He couldn't wait for this year's Family Reunion._

 _But first... he had to get home. And maybe get his first present._

Ben swiftly rode his skateboard across the street, swiftly evading every bump, crack, trashcan, vehicle, cat, dog and elderly pedestrian that was on the way.

A road construction appeared before him and he skateboarded into a large pipe that was being lifted up for maintainance.

Finally, he landed at the doorstep of his house, spinning around in a circle before flipping his board under his arm. Just as he was about to go inside, a black car pulled in the curb. A man with a long brown beard and wearing sunglasses emerged from the car and approached Ben.

"Uh... Can I, help you?" Ben hesitantly asked.

At that moment, a the door opened, revealing a woman with blond hair, "Ben, Honey, are you...?"

Ben's mother stopped when he saw the stranger and pulled her son protectively in her arms.

"Honey, is someone..." Another man with brown hair appeared outside. Once he saw the bearded man, he scowled.

"I'm guessing you guys know each other." Ben remarked.

"Of course we do." The man grinned, "After all; _we are_ _ **family.**_ "

 _ **Family?**_ _Ben never seen him before in any Reunion. Or any family pictures or anything. What is he? A weird uncle once removed?_

 _Something about that smile that felt... unsettling, and_ _ **evil.**_

"Ben, Sweetie, there's _something_ for you in the kitchen." Sandra led Ben away from his uncle and head straight for their house. Once they were a few feet a way, she whispered, " _Grab as quickly as you can and_ _ **run!**_ "

Before Ben could ask, Sandra pushed him inside before she locked the door. Ben watched his mother rejoin his father who seem to be in an argument with his estranged uncle.

Ben didn't know why but he soon found himself in the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a small box on the table, covered in green wrapping paper and adorned with a black ribbon.

Ben picked it up. Just as curiosity urged him to open it, the front door suddenly opened.

Ben turned around, expecting his parents, only to find two burly men in black glaring at him through black sunglasses. _Their eyes glued on his present._..

At that moment, his instincts kicked in; Ben quickly rushed out through the kitchen door and hopped on his skateboard, skating away from his home as fast as he can with the two men giving chase.

 _He had to find a way to lose these two. Why are they after him anyway? Was it because of his birthday present? What about his parents? Are they...?!_

The sound of a car horn snapped him out of his thoughts. He would have been roadkill if he hadn't veered away from that car. That's when he realized he just skateboarded his way in the middle of the road.

He veered and dodged every vehicle that he came across. You could say the road was getting riled up at the fact that a kid was riding recklessly and creating a huge traffic jam. _But it wasn't his fault. Those guys were after him._

 _Speaking of who, they still are. Now he_ _ **really**_ _needed to lose them._

Suddenly, a large truck was heading _straight for him!_

When the driver saw Ben, he steered to the right, but he didn't steer fast enough as the other half of the truck was about to crash on the kid.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Ben _jumped._

While his skateboard rolled under the truck, he jumped _so high_ and managed to land on his skateboard on the other side.

Turns out the truck was a _garbage_ truck. When the truck driver turned, a large trash bag was thrown and landed on the two men, covering them in stinky trash.

Ben laughed victoriously before he continued to skate away.

* * *

 _Come on. That's the_ _ **fifth**_ _time they weren't picking up._ The moment Ben was sure he wasn't followed anymore, he found a secluded spot near the woods were he can call his parents to make sure they were okay.

After the 6th failed call, _he began to worry. What did those guys did to them?_

Ben decided to try a different number, "Hi. Grandpa Max? Something happened to Mom and Dad...?!"

He never got to finish the call as two more burly man grabbed him from behind and stomped on his phone.

Ben struggled to free himself but failed. What worse was that his present was taken away from him by the same bearded man he last saw his parents with.

" _Hey! That's mine!_ " Ben protested.

"Ah yes. You have turned 10." The man turned to face him, his hand reaching for his sunglasses, "Well then..."

Once he took off his sunglasses, Ben's eyes widened in _horror_...

The man's face began to change; his entire skin turned into a sickly shade of dark green, including his beard, making them look like octopus tentacles. His lips turn black and his eyes turned red.

" _Happy Birthday,_ _ **Nephew.**_ "

Then... _when did the sun fall from the sky?_

Something fell from the sky that blinded everyone, forcing them to look away from the intense light. Distracted, the two men restraining Ben were suddenly knocked down by an elderly man wearing a gray and black suit with a black belt buckle with a green hourglass in the middle, freeing their captive in the process.

"Grandpa!" Ben grinned upon seeing his grandfather, "When did you...?!"

Max pushed Ben out of the way just as the green bearded creature was about to strike him from behind. Max managed to stop him by grabbing his arm, but was unprepared when he gave him a strong kick on the stomach.

Ben backed away in fear when his _"uncle"_ began to approach him. He reached for his skateboard but it was smashed into pieces.

Vilgax reached out a black claw to grab the kid, only to be knocked away by a red blur.

" _Get your filthy claws away from my nephew,_ _ **Vilgax.**_ "

 _Nephew? Just when is he related to a giant red four-armed freak?_

 _Although... her voice sounded_ _ **familiar...**_

Vilgax got back up only to realize that he dropped the present. He reached out to grab it, only to lose it to a green crystal-like humanoid who trapped him in green crystals.

 _Okay. This just turned into one_ _ **weird, crazy**_ _birthday._ A shadow loomed over Ben, prompting him to turn around and slightly flinch at a flaming humanoid creature standing before him.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by more men in black. The creature grabbed Ben by the waist.

"Sorry Gentlemen." The creature smirked, " _Gotta blast._ "

The men jumped at him only to collide with each other. Ben screamed as the creature took him to the skies in a blast of flames.

 _Wait... "Gotta_ _ **blast**_ _"?_

Suddenly, a large flying ship appeared out of nowhere. A small section of it slid open, allowing the flame creature to land inside and gently let go of a shocked Ben.

 _"Heat?"_

* * *

 **A little AU I've been thinking about for a long time. Don't know when to continue. Just having a moment of Ben 10 nostalgia.**

 **Until the next time I am Ben 10 inspired.**


	2. Family Secret

_"Ben? Ben!"_

 _"Great. You broke him."_

 _"Well his eyes are still open, and he's still breathing."_

 _"_ _ **Somebody open his head and check his brain!**_ _"_

The moment someone said that, Ben screamed, snapping out of his shocked state. He had to blink multiple times to make sure he wasn't losing his mind.

After blinking for what seem to be a hundredth time, he finally stopped to accept the fact that there were _freaks in front of him!_

He backed away in complete shock only to fall on his back.

"I got ya, Bud." Ben felt a pair of arms hoisting him back to his feet. For some strange reason, they felt... _hot._

He turned around, only to find the same flaming humanoid that saved him from those goons.

" _Heat?_ " He just couldn't believe the freak was one of his _cousins._

The creature smiled, the flames on his head danced as if reacting to his expression, "Hey Bud. Yeah it's a _long_ story..."

He was stopped when Ben grabbed him to face him, " _Oh my god! They mutated you into some flaming freak!_ "

"Not really, Sweetie."

Ben turned around only to find his Aunt Amelia and Grandpa Max approaching him. The former was wearing the same gray and black uniform his grandpa was wearing.

"Grandpa Max? Aunt Amelia? What's going on?" Ben asked in confusion, "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Sweetie," Amelia placed her hand on Ben's shoulder, "your parents..."

"I'm not 5 anymore, Aunt Amelia." Ben pulled away, "That freak Vilgax got them, right?"

"Yes. Yes they did." The green humanoid crystal being approached him holding his present in his crystal hand.

Ben noticed a familiar scent coming from the crystal being and exclaimed, "Uncle Tetrax?"

"Told you he'd notice." Amelia slightly elbowed her husband.

"I am not wearing that faux musk." Tetrax complained before handing the package to Max.

"So... How did you two _actually_ met?" Ben asked.

"Bear Attack." Both Tetrax and Amelia replied simultaneously.

"And irresponsible siblings." Amelia added.

Just as Max was about to open the package, Ben asked, "That's not my birthday present is it?"

"No." Max apologized before opening the package.

Everyone gathered around in order to take a closer look at the content of the package. Ben wanted to see it too, but he was too short compared to his taller relatives.

 _Are all members of his family_ _ **freaks**_ _? Is_ _ **he**_ _a_ _ **freak**_ _too?_

A large red hand suddenly grabbed him and hoisted him on the shoulder of the red four-armed freak that saved him earlier.

"Aunt Armada?" Ben recalled the freak's voice sounded just like his athletic aunt (who always butt heads with Tetrax), "Is everyone in the family all _freaks?_ "

" _Aliens,_ actually." Armada corrected before turning to Tetrax, " _Although,_ _ **some**_ _of us_ _ **are.**_ "

Tetrax grumbled in annoyance before turning back to the content of the package.

Ben managed to see the object in the package; A... _watch?_

 _Well... It does look like a watch._ It had a long band, wider than the circle in the middle that probably served as the clock. But instead of a ring of twelve numbers and the hands, it bore the same green and black hourglass symbol that Max and Amelia wore in their belt buckles.

" _A watch?_ " Ben asked in disbelief, "My crazy uncle captured my parents all just for a _stupid watch?_ "

"It's not a watch." A voice replied, but Ben couldn't see who it came from, despite the familiarity, "It's an instrument of great power. A power to unite all races. (Sigh) To your Uncle Tetrax."

Ben kept searching for the source of the voice, but couldn't. When _he_ told the soon-to-be 10 year old to turn to Tetrax, he did. Only to find a small, gray alien perched on Tetrax' shoulder.

"Don't make me recall the _Cowboy Incident._ " The small alien threatened with a finger.

" _Uncle Ash?_ " Ben exclaimed in surprise. _He was the only relative he knew who would recall embarrassing moments just to "_ _ **discipline**_ _" him and his cousins_ , " _You're... you're..._ "

Ash rolled his large eyes, "Just say it. You're not the _first_ being in the Galaxy to say so."

Some of the other aliens on board shifted and/whistled nervously.

Max cleared his throat to return everyone's attention to the " _watch_ ", "As Azmuth said before; It's _not_ a watch. Your parents labeled it, _The Omnitrix._ It was meant to be an instrument of peace, but Vilgax sees it as a weapon of _destruction. A weapon to bring_ _ **chaos**_ _to the entire galaxy._ "

"He always has been the black sheep of the family." Armada remarked.

"My mom and dad _built_ _ **that?**_ " Ben asked in surprise, "I know they're top-notched mechanics, but _this_ is _crazy. Out-of-this-world crazy!_ "

"How soon until we can activate it?" One of the other aliens asked.

"After we run the proper diagnostics." Another alien replied.

"Uh, can we back up for a moment?" Ben called everyone's attention as he got off his aunt, " _Am I an_ _al_ _ien too?_ "

Max chuckled in amusement, "No Ben. You're 100% Human."

"Who's related to aliens." Ben pointed out, "I can't believe you guys didn't tell me. _Especially you, Heat._ "

"We were going to tell you." Heat assured, looking slightly guilty.

"But your brain wasn't ready to accept the hidden truth." Amelia interjected.

"What?" Ben asked, confused.

To emphasize, the aliens parted to reveal a large screen on the wall. The screen turned on, revealing a video of a seven-year old Ben in a dinosaur costume screaming and running in circles after seeing an inflatable dragon. The screen flashed, revealing another video of an older Ben screaming and running around a man dressed in a green alien costume.

 _And that was just a year ago._

Ben shook his head in embarrassment and mortification.

"If it makes you any better, me and the guys were going to tell you in secret during your birthday party." Heat said in an attempt to cheer him up, only to receive disapproving glares from the older members of his family.

"Thanks Heat." Ben smiled at his cousin.

"S'more?" Heat held up a s'more and roasted it with his fiery breath before offering it to his cousin, on a plate.

"So... Where are we going exactly?" Ben asked as he stared outside from a window. When he did, his eyes widened in shock;

 _They weren't on Earth anymore._

 _They were in_ _ **Space. Outer Space. Complete with stars, and floating rocks which whoever was flying the ship was trying to avoid.**_

Ben was so shocked, he ate Heat's s'more, hoping it was still hot enough to snap him out.

 _Unfortunately it wasn't. But it was delicious._

Ben watched as the ship carrying him and his family landed on a platform that was connected to a large floating space station. The hatch opened, revealing two rows of aliens and humans in the same uniform his aunt and grandpa was wearing. Both side saluted just as Ben and his family got off the ship.

Just as Ben checked the new place out, he was suddenly tackled by a giant orange beast with a long neck, a head of a wolf, two sharp horns on its head, and... _with, a bushy tail of a cat?_

Ben closed his eyes as he braced himself for his end.

 _It wasn't fair. He had so many questions; Why was he related to_ _a_ _liens? Why were his parents taken? Why wasn't he sent to_ _al_ _ien School? Why...?_

Ben felt something large and wet rubbed against his head. He opens his eyes, only to find the orange alien licking him.

In a rather, _friendly_ manner.

It licked Ben several more times until his hair stood up in a mess. The alien stopped and stared at him with big yellow eyes, as if it expecting him to do something.

Ben tried to push the Alien off him, but it keeps pushing him down as if it doesn't want to let him go.

Just like... _someone he knows..._

 _Someone who always tackle him as a way of saying "hello"..._

 _During their family reunions..._

Ben looked at the alien once more with wide eyes, " _Cousin Poodle?_ "

The alien wags her tail in delight, "Yay! You know me!"

She got off her cousin and happily bounced in place while he stares at her in confusion, "What are you? Some, kind of science experiment gone wrong?"

"Ben, don't be rude." Armada lightly scolded, "Poodle here is a _Chupacabra_ _._ Due to their nature of nurturing their fur under the intense heat of the sun, most humans are quite fortunate in finding one on earth. Thus, the myth."

Ben almost couldn't believe he was just tackled by his Cousin Poodle.

The girl who was a foot shorter than him... The girl whose innocent baby-blue eyes hid her wild, energetic streak... The little girl who always give him hugs that made him think that he was going to be sent to the hospital...

Turns out to be some kind of 10 foot-tall dog-cat-goat alien creature.

" _Ben!_ " Another alien, just like his Uncle Tetrax, picked him up and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

As Ben tried to breathe, he noticed the green crystal alien was wearing a yellow hoodie. _Just like..._

"Daemond!" Amelia scolds, "Stop suffocating your cousin."

To Ben's relief, Daemond broke the hug.

...

" _Daemond...?!_ " Ben gasped as he was placed down, "You're... You're not short! And you've buffed up!"

Daemond grins and shakes his crystal hands, "Surprise!"

Ben continues to gape. His cousin Daemond... _shorter_ than him... _thi_ _n..._

(And... _sometimes... a little,_ _ **bit...**_ _clueless..._ )

Was now the _**TOTAL OPPOSITE**_ in front of him.

Plus he's made up of crystals.

"Who's next?" Ben remarked, "Cousin Grey? A mini-Alien like Uncle Ash?"

"The proper term, is _'Lunarian'._ " A small Alien resembling Azmuth hopped on Daemond's shoulder, "And _yes._ He is of that species."

Ben couldn't help but poke his now-miniaturized cousin. Annoyed, Grey swatted his hand away.

He feared the day his cousin would see his other self. Now here they are, and very soon, he'll have to deal with...(groan)... _**t**_ _ **he questions**_ _..._

Ben gazed at the strange, new place around him, "What is all this?"

Max cleared his throat, "For centuries, our family has been defending the peace, and order of the entire universe from threats and destruction. We are the protectors of the natural and unnatural. The soldiers of space and time. We are... _The Plumbers._ "

...

"Where did the tumbleweed come from?" Daemond asked as one passed by a silent Ben.

"It's a long story of _'Who-came-up-with-the-name-first?'._ " Azmuth explained, "Now we know you have questions-"

"Which will have to wait because you guys have to check on the watch first." Ben interrupted, "So, while you're busy, the guys can show me around, check out some pretty cool Alien stuff, and _hopefully_ not get into trouble."

Ben finished with a wide grin.

"Right on the mark." Max confirms, "Especially since _someone_ already got himself into a lot of trouble earlier."

"Cousin Ghostfreak?" Ben guessed.

"How did you know?" Grey asked.

Ben shrugs, "Lucky guess."

Poodle hoisted Ben on her back and the cousins were on their way to start their tour of Plumbers Headquarters.

Max watched his human grandson go with a worried look in his eyes.

This wasn't how he wanted the reveal to go. Now thanks to Vilgax, his grandson's life is at risk. And so are his parents'.

He looks back at the device in his hands, "We have to hurry..."


End file.
